man who seemed so lonely: "And if there's
anything I can ever do to--to--help you----"

"Who told you I needed help?" cried the man, his voice so harsh and
threatening that Billie started back, half falling over a root.

"Why--why," faltered Billie, saying almost the first thing that came into
her mind. "You looked so--so--sad----"

"Sad," the man repeated bitterly. "Yes, I have enough to make me sad. But
help!" he added fiercely. "I don't need help from you or any one."

And without another word he turned and strode off into the darkness.

After that it did not take the girls long to reach the road. They felt,
someway, as if they must have dreamed their adventure, it had all been so
strange and unreal. And yet they knew they had never been more awake in
their lives.

"Please don't talk about it now," begged Vi when Laura would have
discussed it. "Let's wait till we get in our dorm with lights and
everything. I'm just shivering all over."

For once the others were willing to do as the most timid of the trio
wished, and they hurried along in silence till they saw, with hearts full
of thankfulness, the lights of Three Towers Hall shine out on the road
before them.

"Look, I see the lights!"

"So do I!"

"Thank goodness we haven't much farther to go."

"It's all of a quarter of a mile, Vi."

"Huh! what's a quarter of a mile after such a tramp as we have had?" came
from Billie.

"And after such an experience," added Laura.

"We'll certainly have some story to tell."

"I want something to eat first."

"Yes, and dry clothes, too."

"What a queer hut and what a queer man!"

"I've heard of people being lost before," said Billie, as they ran up the
steps that led to the handsomest door in the world, or at least so they
thought it at that moment. "But now I know that what they said about it
wasn't half bad enough."

"But not every one finds a hut and a funny man when they get lost," said
Vi.

"Well, you needn't be so conceited about it," said Laura, pausing with
her hand on the door knob. "The girls probably won't believe us when we
tell them."

But Laura was wrong. The girls did really believe the story of Hugo
Billings and the hut and became tremendously excited about it. At first
they were all for making up an expedition and going to see it--the only
drawback being that the chums could not have directed them to it if they
would.

And they would not have wished to, anyway. They had rather good reas